The sweet stench of crazy

I just pulled mself from the quicksand. I've been trapped for the last two days in a fruitless and frustrating back and forth with a pro life, anti euthanasia, creationist... I know, I know "Someone is wrong on the internet" but it is so frustrating recieving her messages. You know you shouldn't look, but the stupid calls to you. "How bad can it be this time" you ask yourself.

Seriously, this girl uses all the talking points! She repeats "questions" over and over looking for a particular answer, not satisfied until it is provided for her to crow over.

She actually said "only a theory" and "show me a half monkey half man" and when I explained we don't come from monkeys using cousins and grandparents to illustrate the difference between ancestors and contemporaries she followed up with puzzlement that I was calling her grandfather a monkey and after some more clarification followed up with "so where are the half monkey men" again as if nothing had happened.

After she tried "only a theory" and when I'd explained evolution is a theory like germ theory she suggested I lick a toilet brush - clearly misunderstanding which of us doesn't accept scientific theories as more than guesswork.Then she loled at herself.

And, of course, I have no morals. Without the bible and god how could I? And I'm not qualified to discuss the bible because I don't understand it. Direct quotes are out of context, obviously. And I have faith, more faith than her. I mentioned to her that I snigger every time a theist uses faith as a dirty wod. I mean it is a dirty word,but it is nice when they acknowledge it.

In the end the only way to escape was to delete the thread, which is a shame. But otherwise I'd never have escaped from the cluthces of ignorance.

we have a saying here in Holland "Als alle gekken konden vliegen hadden we een permanente zonsverduistering" - If all fools could fly, the sun would be eclipsed forever - Fortunately they cannot fly so we can continue to bask in the autumn sunlight !

The biggest problem I see with talking to this type of people is that they have no understanding of Darwin's theory. Ask them "what is the theory of evolution" and see what you get. Most of the time it's along the lines of "we came from monkeys".

This is when I tell them that they have no understanding of evolution and we can talk when they read up on the topic, because until then there opinion does not count. I can't talk to you about something you know nothing about and expect a good conversation.

Lets put it this way, and the way the neuroscientist Sam Harris explained so well in one of his TED appearance, "certain people just cannot use certain part of the brain". Organic wise this means if the electric pulses stimulating these areas cannot be reached, it’s like trying to sway a dead person. :(

There are some fundamentalist religious types that are so ingrained in their beliefs that you could use any and every atheist argument but they will still fall back on their superstition.

You could embarrass them, highlight their contradictions and make them a laughing stock but they would still fall back on their faith and claim to haver won the argument.

You are a realist and a skeptic so are prepared for a proper debate- they usually are not. If the lord god almighty appeared in person to me I would have to concede I was wrong or mad. (Assuming the former I would have to ask him why he had made such a mess of his toy-box.) This visitation will not happen nor will an in-your-face fundy recant.

If you understand that regardless of your overwhelming evidence your adversary will not cede any point there is only one approach you can adopt- take the piss out of her!

The irony of this is that I've sought out a deeper understanding of the theory of evolution because, well, I wanted to, and so I could have answers for idiots like this girl. But debating them is futile.